Security officials threatened on Friday that an escalation of rocket
fire by terrorists in Gaza will result in a “super escalation” by the
IDF.

Speaking to the Yisrael Hayom newspaper, a security official
said, “We cannot tolerate this fire over time. The citizens of Israel
do not care who shoots at them. They care that they are being shot
at.”

A senior official in the Israeli Air Force told the newspaper, “The
results of an operation in Gaza will have an impact on the doctrine
of the Air Force.” The official added that “the enemy understands
that Israel has the Iron Dome and in the next round he will look for
a different Achilles’ heel.”

The officials made the comments following the recent wave of
escalation, during which Gaza terrorists fired more than 200 rockets
at Israel over four days.

Despite an Egyptian-brokered ‘ceasefire’ announced earlier this week,
terrorists continued to fire rockets at Israeli territory even on
Friday.

A Kassam rocket which was fired from Gaza at southern Israel on
Friday afternoon landed in an open area in the Eshkol Regional
Council. There were no physical injuries or damage.

A Kassam rocket was also fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight
Thursday and exploded in an open area in the Eshkol Regional Council.

At least five rockets and missiles were fired from Gaza into Israeli
territory throughout the day on Thursday, including a Grad missile
fired at Ashdod on Thursday evening. While the Iron Dome system
successfully shot the missile out of the air before impact, the
attack caused concern among local officials and led to the closure of
schools across the south.

On Thursday, when schools were open, a rocket hit near a school in
Ofakim. No children were wounded in the attack.

Be’er Sheva Mayor Rubik Danilovich made it clear on Thursday that “so
long as there is shooting on the city of Be´er Sheva there will be no
school. I maintain constant contact with the Home Front Command, I
hear their assessments and professional guidelines and
recommendations, but ultimately I take full responsibility for the
safety of the students of Be´er Sheva.”

Danilovich added, “It’s unthinkable that you could be talking about
routine and the firing of missiles continues as a fact of life. This
cannot happen. We’ve created an absurd situation in which there is no
quiet in southern Israel, and Gaza is quiet. Israel must make
military action to eradicate this terrorism. The mayors have given
the defense establishment and the Prime Minister the full backing to
carry out any actions required to stop the shooting at the south. If
we do not act now, we´ll go back for another more difficult and more
violent round.”

Meanwhile on Friday, the Islamic Jihad claimed it has rockets that
can reach Tel Aviv.

A member of the terror group´s Quds Brigades told AFP they were ready
to expand the reach of its rocket fire "beyond the Israeli town of
Ashdod."

“If the occupation targets any leader of any Palestinian group
whatsoever or any citizen, the Brigades will respond with force and
expand the reach of the response beyond Ashdod,” he said.

On Thursday, Minister of Strategic Affairs Minister and deputy
premier Moshe Yaalon said Israel would make terrorists "beg us to
stop."